On Test Day

Test Center Procedures and Regulations for Paper-delivered Tests

By submitting your registration for a GRE® Subject Test, you are agreeing to abide by all procedures and policies in the GRE® Information Bulletin, on the GRE website or communicated to you at the test administration for which you have registered.

Dress so that you can adapt to any room temperature.

Test-related information written on clothing, ID documents or on any parts of the body is prohibited.

Testing centers do not have large waiting rooms. Friends or relatives who accompany you to the test center will not be permitted to wait in the test center or be in contact with you while you are taking the test. Except for ETS-authorized observers, visitors are not allowed in the testing room while testing is in progress.

Food, beverages, tobacco and firearms are not allowed in the testing room.

You are not permitted to go outside the test center building unless it is to use the restroom only during the test administration, including breaks.

Verifying Your ID

ID verification at the test center may include:

Fingerprinting/thumbprinting

Photographing/videotaping

Signature comparison

Biometric voice identification

If you refuse to participate, you will not be permitted to test and you will forfeit your test fees. This is in addition to the requirement that you must present acceptable and valid identification.

Personal Items

Personal items other than identification documents are not allowed in the testing room. This includes bringing any phones, PDAs, all watches, including digital, analog and smartwatches and other electronic, recording, listening or photographic devices into the test center. If you do, you will be dismissed from the test, your test fees will be forfeited and your scores will be canceled even if dismissal is not enforced on the day of the test. Test administrators are not permitted to collect and hold cell phones or other devices. If you are seen using or accessing any of these electronic devices and/or transmitting data, including but not limited to text messaging, email and photographs, your device may be inspected and/or confiscated. You may not access your phone during the test or during breaks to check messages or to check the time.

Personal calculators are not permitted.

Before the test, you will receive instructions from test center staff regarding where to store personal items. You may also be asked to empty your pockets. You will not have access to your personal items during the test administration except for food, beverages and medications, which may be accessed during your break. Personal items such as hats, scarves, jackets and outerwear that are taken into the test room are subject to inspection by the test administrator.

If you fail to follow the instructions of the test center staff, you will not be permitted to test and your test fee will not be refunded. Any violation of this procedure during the test or during breaks may result in dismissal from the test and/or cancellation of scores.

Neither ETS nor the test centers assume any responsibility whatsoever for personal items, including watches or devices, that you choose to bring into the test center.

The following procedures and regulations apply during the entire test session, which begins at sign-in, ends at sign-out and includes breaks.

Report to the test center at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled testing time. If you arrive late, you may not be admitted and your test fee will be forfeited. Plan to be at the test center up to three and one-half hours for a Subject Test.

On occasion, weather conditions or other circumstances beyond the test administrator or ETS’s control may require a delayed start or the rescheduling of your test appointment. In the event that a technical problem at the test center makes it necessary to cancel your test session, or if it is later determined that your scores could not be reported, you will be offered the opportunity to schedule another test appointment free of charge or receive a full refund of the original test fee. In addition, you may seek reimbursement from ETS for reasonable and documented expenses associated with traveling to the test center, even though technical problems are generally not the fault of ETS. To request reimbursement, contact GRE Services with the following information within 30 days of your original appointment: your name, date of birth, mailing address, daytime telephone number, email address, original test date and registration or CBT appointment number, and a brief description of what occurred at the test center. All reimbursements will be made in U.S. dollars.

Take your confirmation email and identification document(s) to the test center.

Take three or four sharpened No. 2 or HB pencils and a good eraser. Pencils and erasers will not be supplied at the center. Mechanical pencils and pens are not permitted.

No test taker will be admitted after test materials have been distributed.

With the exception of your confirmation email, paper of any kind is not permitted in the testing room. Your confirmation email cannot be used as scratch paper.

You must have the test administrator's permission to leave the room during the test. Any time lost cannot be made up. You are required to remain in the test center building or in the immediate area unless it is to use the restroom only during the test administration, including breaks.

You may work only on the test section designated by the test center administrator and only for the time allowed. You will not be permitted to continue the test or any part of it beyond the established time limit.

You will enter your answers to test questions on a separate answer sheet. Answers to multiple-choice questions recorded in the test book will not be scored. You may use the test book to work out your answers, but you must mark all your answers on the separate answer sheet before time is called.

At the conclusion of the test you will be required to return your test book and answer sheet to the test administrator. These materials are the property of ETS.

At the end of the test, you will be asked to indicate if your want to cancel your scores. If you do not cancel your scores, they will be sent to the institutions that you designated during registration. If you cancel your scores, they will NOT be available for your review online or be reported to any score recipients. No refund will be made. Canceled scores are not added to your reportable history. If you wish to take the test again you must reregister and submit another test payment.

Note: ETS reserves the right to take appropriate action and/or notify appropriate authorities including, but not limited to, law enforcement authorities, if a test taker responds in a threatening or disturbing way to essay questions or communicates with ETS either verbally or in writing in a threatening or disturbing manner.

Reporting Suspicious Behavior

ETS takes test security very seriously. Although tests are administered under strict supervision and security measures, testing irregularities may sometimes occur. Please contact ETS as soon as possible to report any observed irregular behavior — for example, someone copying from another test taker, taking a test for someone else, having access to test questions before the exam, or using notes or unauthorized aids. All information will be held in strictest confidence. Reports of cheating will be investigated thoroughly and offenders may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the applicable laws.

Dismissal from a Test Center

A test administrator is authorized to dismiss you from a test session and/or your scores may be withheld and ultimately canceled for any actions that violate the policies and procedures set forth herein and/or communicated at the test center including, but not limited to:

Attempting to take the test for someone else or having someone else take the test for you.

Failing to provide acceptable identification.

Obtaining improper access to the test, a part of the test, or information about the test. This includes having test questions or answers in advance of the test administration and bringing pre-knowledge of test information into the test center and any form including, but not limited to, identification documents, prohibited devices and any other method listed as an aid in connection to the test.

Using or having any prohibited device in your possession in the test center. Any phones, PDAs, all watches, including digital, analog and smartwatches, and other electronic, recording, listening and photographic devices are not permitted in the test center. If you bring them into the test center, you will be dismissed from the test, your test fees will be forfeited and your scores will be canceled even if dismissal is not enforced on the day of the test. Test administrators are not permitted to collect and hold cell phones or any other devices. If you are seen using or accessing any of these devices and/or transmitting data, including but not limited to text messaging, email and photographs, your device may be inspected and/or confiscated. You may not access your phone during the test or during breaks to check messages or to check the time.

Creating a disturbance. Disruptive behavior in any form will not be tolerated; the test administrator has sole discretion in determining what constitutes disruptive behavior.

Attempting to give or receive assistance. Communication in any form is not permitted during the test administration. Discussion or sharing of test content or answers during the test administration, including breaks, and after the test administration is prohibited.

Removing or attempting to remove test content from the test center. Under no circumstances may test content or any part of the test content be removed, reproduced, and/or disclosed by any means (hard copy, verbally, electronically) to any person or entity.

Bringing a weapon or firearm into the test center.

Bringing food, beverages or tobacco into the testing room.

Leaving the test center vicinity during the test session or during breaks.

Leaving the testing room without permission. You are not permitted to go outside the test center building unless it is to use the restroom during the test administration, including breaks.

Taking excessive or extended unscheduled breaks during the test session. Test center administrators are required to strictly monitor unscheduled breaks and report test takers who take excessive or extended breaks.

Referring to, looking through, or working on the test when not authorized to do so, or working after time has been called.

Failing to follow any of the test administration regulations contained on the GRE website or in the GRE® Information Bulletin, given by the test administrator or specified in any test materials.

ETS reserves the right to take all action — including, but not limited to, barring you from future testing and/or withholding or canceling your scores — for failure to comply with test administration regulations or the test administrator's directions. If your scores are canceled, they will not be reported and your registration and test fees will not be refunded. Reports of cheating will be investigated thoroughly and offenders may be prosecuted to the full extent of the applicable laws.